Better Luck next time!
by Akuma-Koneko
Summary: Kyo and Tohru! Just a short thing, not very long. Started out a oneshot. Then I was just having too much fun manipulating the characters to quit...I officially no longer wish to continue this, so the end will be somewhere in the next few chapters.
1. Beaten

Hi! Ok, I don't own any of the Fruit Basket stuff...sadly.

It should be noted, I suppose, that I despise Yuki, and so am in favor of KyoxTohru.

Flamemelater if you want, I don't care. But, for now, be nice, eh? This is my first fan fic...So, I'mopen to suggestions,pretty please, R&R.

Tohru Honda entered Kyo's room, bearing a tray of lunch.

"Kyo-kun, when you didn't come down, I got worried, so I fixed you something. I hope it's alright…"

Kyo looked up from his seat on his bed. Taking the tray, he set in on his bedside table.

"Don't worry so much, Tohru-kun. I'm sure it's fine…" He blushed, embarrassed at his clumsy words.

"Oh, thank you Kyo-kun, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me today!" Tohru smiled, and, without thinking, she stepped forward and hugged him.

POOF!

In her arms sat a disgruntled looking orange cat, a thin line of blush still showing on his now furry face.

"Uwaaah! I'm so sorry, Kyo-kun!" she wailed, hugging him tightly in apology.

"Whatever, it's fine. Just don't—"

POOF!

Just as suddenly as he had become a cat, Kyo reverted to human form, now sitting naked on Tohru's lap, still partially encircled by her arms.

"Ummmm…." The pair blushed furiously, as he quickly moved off her lap. He started to reach for his fallen clothes, when a thought stopped him, and he turned back to look at Tohru. Slowly he sat back up, reaching around her. She had turned away from him, flushed, but he pulled her back around so that she was facing him. Gently, he lifted her chin, and tilting his head slightly, he kissed her tenderly. Tohru, looking shocked but not _too_ unhappy, broke the kiss, protesting.

"K-K-Kyo-kun, what--?"

He smiled warmly at her, taking her into his arms as much as he could without transforming. Slowly, he began to remove her shirt; no longer protesting, she submitted to his ministration willingly. The couple made love, for the moment forgetting their worries.

An hour or so later--

"Oi, baka neko, have you seen--?" The bedroom door opened as Yuki Sohma entered.

Tohru, sound asleep after her afternoon's exertion, did not stir. Kyo sat up groggily, eying his cousin with distaste.

"What do you want, kuso nezumi!"

"….." Yuki seemed to be at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed silently as his hand slowly rose to point to Tohru, who was asleep, nude, next to an equally nude Kyo. After some time, Yuki regained his voice.

"What—the—hell—did—you—do—to—her!" he demanded in a furious whisper.

Kyo raised his eyebrows at his infuriated cousin, considering this rare opportunity to make Yuki look bad.

"Is it so hard for you to tell, baka nezumi?"

The look on the other boy's face was, in Kyo's opinion, priceless. Deftly, intent on annoying the Rat further, Kyo lowered himself back onto the bed, stroking the still-sleeping Tohru's arm. Muttering in her sleep, she rolled over to cuddle against him (without actually hugging him). Sending a discreet glance in Yuki's direction, what Kyo saw could not possibly have given him more satisfaction. His cousin's face was beet red (An interesting affect, when combined with the purple eyes) and he was glaring daggers at Kyo, while clearly afraid to make too much noise. The red head smiled, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

_That bastard-! Taking advantage of Honda-san! Dammit, how could he be so crude! Did he rape her? She doesn't look…unhappy…_ thought Yuki. Tohru stirred a bit more, and the Rat jerked back to reality. With a sigh, she settled back into a sounder sleep, hugging Kyo tightly.

"Gaah!" Kyo cried, caught unawares.

POOF!

While Yuki was still stunned by these current events, Kyo took the opportunity, snatched his clothes in his mouth, and streaked out the still-open door of his room, out of the house and into the forest to get dressed.

Soon after, Yuki came looking for him, fury written on his face, his fists clenched.

"Damn you! How could you – you keep away from Honda-san, do you hear me!" Still yelling, hurling abuse at his 'lascivious' cousin, Yuki launched himself at Kyo, intent upon avenging Tohru's lost 'purity.'

Kyo dodged his cousin's wild attacks, knowing that Yuki had lost, for the moment, all reason. He didn't care how badly Kyo was injured, as long as he was punished for his 'heinous' crime. Endangered as he was by Yuki's attacks, Kyo smirked in remembrance of the 'crime'. The Rat, through the red fog of his rage, saw the expression.

"You're proud of yourself, aren't you! Proud for taking advantage of a helpless girl! You bastard!" Kyo raised an eyebrow at his cousin, neatly sidestepping a punch and countering with a hard kick in the stomach. As a general rule, during his fights with Yuki, this counter _never_ worked. However, this time, his foot connected soundly, and Yuki went down, gasping. The blow broke through the haze in Yuki's eyes, waking him from his rage-induced bloodlust. The Rat coughed weakly, and glared up at Kyo.

"Tell me…the truth. Did you…rape her?" Yuki panted. Startled, Kyo responded truthfully.

"No…she was…she was willing, I guess."

Yuki looked down at the ground, still making an effort to breath normally. He tried to hide his flush of mortification and jealousy by hanging his head, but Kyo saw it.

"Well…Better luck next time, baka nezumi." On that smug note, Kyo turned and walked inside, smelling dinner being prepared by his Tohru. At the door, the cat turned slightly and looked back at his vanquished opponent, who still sat where he had fallen.

"Yes…Better luck next time, rat boy…"

And with that he went inside, satisfied at last, in every way.

Finis.


	2. Aftermath

Chapter 2: Aftermath

Heh…I _still_ don't own Fruits Basket. Sigh…

Shigure glanced slyly out the window, watching as Yuki commenced attempting to annihilate Kyo with his bare hands.

_Now…_Shigure wondered, _what on earth might have caused **Yuki** to attack **Kyo** instead of the other way around?_

He smiled, feeling very much superior to the boys scuffling outside. Quiet as a mouse, Shigure crept up the stairs.

_Heh…The mouse isn't very quiet right now…Maybe as quiet as a very, very clever dog!_

Coming to the hallway at the top of the stairs, the Dog peeked first into Tohru's room, and, finding it empty, went to Kyo's room. Looking furtively out a window, he made sure the boys were still fighting, and then, satisfied that they were preoccupied, he slid open the door to Kyo's room. From his vantage point at the door, all Shigure could see was the back of Tohru's head and a pair of slim, bare shoulders.

Hah! I was right… 

"Mmm…Kyo?" Tohru, waking at the sound of the door, sat up, the blanket falling about her waist.

POOF!

Tohru blinked. Kyo was nowhere to be seen; Shigure, looking very embarrassed (if not repentant) was sitting in the doorway in dog form; and there were sounds like that of a very violent squabble coming from the backyard outside the window. A few moments passed as Tohru collected her scattered wits; then, at last, to Shigure's disappointment, she remembered her state of nudity and ducked back under the covers, blushing furiously.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to intrude…" Shigure, not wanting to discomfit her further, backed out of the room and closed the door. The Dog gathered his clothes and disappeared down the stairs and into his room, intent on getting out of the way of the storm that would, no doubt, soon be moving inside, to destroy his house.

Tohru, slipping into her clothes, looked out the window, worried by the sudden silence left by the end of the scuffle. Yuki sat on the ground, looking somewhat depressed, as Kyo walked away, looking, in contrast to Yuki and to his usual outlook after a battle, very cheerful indeed.

"Uwaaah! Ah…I should go start making dinner…and see if Yuki-kun is alright…but…"

Tohru, still looking very confused, wandered off to her room to get a change of clothes and then took a bath.

Later that Night

Tohru set the dishes on the table for dinner and went to fetch Shigure from his room.

"Ah! Shigure-kun, dinner is ready!"

Shigure woke at the sound of her voice. A look of annoyance crossed his face at the interruption, as he tried to recall the details of the daydream he had just been startled from. Giving it up as a hopeless case, he raised his voice to answer her summons.

"Alright, Tohru-kun, I'll be there in a moment…"

"Arigatou, Shigure-kun—Uwaaah! Could you call the others? I left the water in the sink running…!"

Her voice trailed off as she dashed for the kitchen, her sentence ending abruptly as she crashed headlong into Yuki as he entered the house.

"Ah! Gomen, gomen Yuki-kun!" It was too late. Yuki sat on the floor in rat form, discreetly avoiding meeting her eyes.

"It's alright, Honda-san. It was my fault." He made his way out of the hall and up the stairs to change. Tohru didn't move for a moment, but then remembered the reason for her mad dash to the kitchen.

"Ah! The faucet..!"

"It's okay, I already got it. You really should try not to go running around like that. You'll get hurt!" Kyo stood in the kitchen by then sink, having turned off the flow of water before it got out of hand. He smiled crookedly at her.

"Now, is dinner done yet? I'm hungry!"

"Ah! Yes, yes it is! Gomen, I shouldn't keep you waiting like that!" Tohru babbled, still somewhat off balance after her collision with Yuki.

Shigure watched them discreetly, as Yuki came back downstairs. He decided that this would be a good time to make an announcement.

"Tohru-kun, I presume you have prepared your usual delicious dinner? Is there enough for five there? I've taken the liberty of inviting a guest over for dinner…"

The Dog watched with amusement as an expression of foreboding crossed the faces of the boys. Tohru, caught off guard, stammered her answer.

"Ah! Yes, um, yes there is. Who are we expecting?"

"Ahahaha! Funny that you should ask that, oh captive princess! Now that I have arrived, do hurry up and honor us all with your fabulous creation!" Stunned silence reigned for about a minute, continuing as Kyo and Yuki simultaneously turned to glare daggers at Shigure, and Tohru remained speechless in surprise. This was _not_ going to be a good, peaceful dinner that she had hoped for…not a chance.


	3. General Warfare: the Dinner Guest

Chapter 3: General Warfare

I suppose you all ought to know by now that Fruits Basket is not mine…

"_Who are we expecting?"_

"_Ahahaha! Funny that you should ask that, oh captive princess! Now that I have arrived, do hurry up and honor us all with your fabulous creation!" Stunned silence reigned for about a minute, continuing as Kyo and Yuki simultaneously turned to glare daggers at Shigure, and Tohru remained speechless in surprise. This was not going to be a good, peaceful dinner that she had hoped for…not a chance._

Ayame smiled condescendingly down at Tohru. Yuki remained motionless with horror as Kyo leapt to his feet.

"Don't talk to her like that, you slimy little reptile! Stop making fun of her!"

Yuki nodded, mildly surprised to be agreeing with Kyo once again. Tohru, very confused, looked from Ayame's laughingly surprised face, to Yuki's grim expression of resignation, to Kyo's typical furious grimace, to Shigure's sly smile.

"Eh? Eh..Ah! I'm sorry! Please sit down, Ayame-san! I was just serving dinner now!"

Kyo and Yuki exchanged looks of severe exasperation, and began mentally preparing themselves for the battle that was unavoidably brewing over the dinner table as Ayame approached. Taking a seat between Yuki and Shigure, the Snake sent a small, uncharacteristically knowing glance at Kyo, who looked relieved to have been left the seat next to Tohru. Ayame raised one delicately curved eyebrow and waited for Kyo to notice his scrutiny. It didn't take long.

"Ah? WHAT! Why are you looking at me like that? Stoppit!" Kyo leveled a piercing glare at Ayaa, who merely smirked and smiled up at Tohru's approach.

"I apologize for the wait, Ayame-san!" Tohru gave a little bow, almost dropped her tray for food, and, looking very flustered indeed, took the remaining seat next to Kyo and set the tray upon the table.

"Ah, yes…Ayaa, do you not find yourself overcome with jealousy for me now? What with my lovely new housewife, spectacular career, and..um….and….." the Dog cowered behind Ayame as two killing glares were aimed at him.

"Shut up, Shigure! Who are you calling your WIFE, eh!"

"Shigure, if you insist upon continually making such stupid statements, I'll have to kill you…"

Tohru, looking even more confused, protested slightly, saying, "Ah…Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun! Please, I don't really mind…it doesn't matter.."

Abruptly, she became the focus of their stares.

"What? Tohru, the only reason he says that kinda crap is because YOU let him get away with it!"

"For once, the Cat is right…if you told Shigure to stop it, I don't think he would disobey you."

"HEY! What do you mean, 'for once'?"

"That your being correct is a rare occurrence, obviously."

"You are correct, my dear brother; Kyon-kichi is almost always wrong!"

"Too true, Ayaa, as I think we all know!"

"Hey! Don't you two get involved too, this is between the Rat and me!"

"If that's so, then stop using Honda-san to win petty little victories against me!"

"Hah! You only WISH that it HAD been a petty little victory, don't you, _baka nezumi_! Anyway, since when can Ayame talk about ME being wrong often-I mean, look at HIM! He still thinks that there's a chance that the kuso nezumi will accept him as his beloved brother!"

"Oh! Kyon-kichi, I am insulted! How dare you doubt that I am Yuki's favorite person in the world?"

"It's not hard to tell that you AREN'T, for everyone except YOU!"

The general warfare and squabbling continued, the food long since forgotten.

"Eh! Ah, um! Please, stop…you mustn't fight!"

Tohru (being the only one still seated) was in tears, trying to hide them and not succeeding. Somewhere during the fight, a dish of sauce had been overturned on Ayame's silver outfit, and a bowl of rice had been tipped over onto a plate of sushi. The beautifully prepared feast had, in short, been ruined.

"Ah!" Kyo abruptly sat and, blushing slightly, patted her softly on the head. "I'm sorry Tohru…we didn't mean to ruin dinner for you."

"Yeah…" Yuki looked at the floor next to Tohru, humiliated. "It was our fault."

"Ah…yes! I'm sorry! I'll go fix a new dinner. Please, Shigure-san, Ayame-san, sit down." Tohru made as if to rise, but Kyo's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Nah, Tohru. It was our fault, so we'll fix it; the food probably still tastes fine, even if it doesn't look so nice anymore."

And thus ended the general warfare, and after the salvaged dinner, Ayame felt obligated to give at least a little comment, "C'est Magnifique!"

Hehe! Writing the argument was fun…truthfully though, I couldn't think of a way to finish it, so I just gave Ayaa the honors of proving that he knows some French! Congratulations to him from a fellow snake -


	4. Jealousy

Chapter Four: Jealousy

Nope, I don't own Furuba. Thanks to my reviewers, I love you all! I'm sorry it's been so long...(

Tohru stood in the kitchen, armed with a dishcloth and soap; cleaning up from the party was _not_ going to be fun. The mixture of rice and duck sauce, for example, would stain the white dishes if she didn't get it out of there. She picked up the first dish, mentally reviewing the days activities while she worked.

Rinse out the bowl…

_Kyo said he loves me._

Put in the soap…

_Yuki is avoiding me, which means that he's mad at Kyo – he feels guilty when they fight._

Scrub it with a sponge…

_Kyo beat Yuki in a fight._

Her hands paused in mid-scrub.

_Does that mean Kyo can now become a part of the Zodiac, or is there something else he has to do? Maybe the circumstances were unfair, Yuki didn't look like he was quite…sane, really…_

Rinse the bowl and dry it with the dishcloth and move on to the next bowl.

_Ayame came over and Kyo and Yuki got mad at him because he was being...rude? To me?_

Her hands automatically rinsed and scrubbed the bowl; in no time she had finished all the dishes. She laid them out to dry a little more and turned to leave the kitchen – only to find that she had been watched the entire time by Yuki.

"Ah! Y-Yuki-kun, I'm sorry! Did you want something?" He cocked his head at her, smiling slightly.

"No, no, Honda-san, it's alright. Now that you're done, though, I wonder if I could ask you a few questions?"

Tohru was confused. What kind of questions would he ask? Was this for some school project that she'd forgotten about?

"Of course you can, Yuki-kun! It's getting late though, so let's go out on the porch so we won't disturb Shigure-san." She smiled pleasantly at him and dried off her hands, and the followed him onto the porch.

Kyo growled, deep in his throat. It wasn't his job to keep Tohru out of trouble…but he loved her, so…it sort of was his job. He sighed and then went upstairs. There were, he decided, certain bonuses to being the Cat; for one, he could get anywhere he wanted without making any noise. Even if that included sitting completely unnoticed behind Yuki underneath the table, as he had been only a minute ago. He entered Yuki's room, and opened the window noiselessly. He climbed out onto the porch roof and lay down, both ears straining to hear Yuki and Tohru's conversation, muscles taught, prepared to jump down and attack Yuki if he did anything untoward to Tohru.

"Yuki-kun…what is it that you wanted to ask about? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

Above her, Kyo caught the undertone of fear in her voice, and snarled silently.

"No, Honda-san, it's not anything you've done wrong…it's what Kyo did."

Now Kyo did growl, albeit quietly. That damn rat was trying to get Tohru to give some sort of testament against him! Kuso nezumi – it wasn't his business to go prying into! Ah – Tohru was talking. Kyo strained his ears again.

"W-what Kyo did? B-but…I mean…" she paused, and then burst out, "Was it wrong? I mean, he didn't attack me, I never told him not to, but is there some rule that Shigure has that I've broken? I'm so sorry! I can go back to living in a tent, or move in with Grandpa again if I've insulted anyone!"

Yuki was silent for a long moment. Kyo waited. If that damn rat didn't tell Tohru that nothing was wrong in 10 seconds, he'd go down and beat him up.

Finally Yuki spoke again.

"You haven't done anything wrong, don't worry about that. It's just, I'm worried about you. You said…he didn't attack you…" he stopped, looking embarrassed and frustrated. Kyo smirked slightly at his dilemma, but worried for Tohru's peace of mind. Yuki suddenly started talking again, all in a rush.

"Honda-san, I…I-just-want-to-make-sure-that-he-didn't-rape-you!"

"…W-what? Gomen, Yuki-kun but I couldn't understand you!"

Kyo smirked a little more at Yuki's obvious unwillingness to repeat himself.

"Honda-san, I…forgive me if I'm prying but, I just wanted to be sure that…..to be sure that Kyo didn't…you know…rape you!" He was flushed, angry looking, teeth and fists clenched, hanging his head in shame. Above on the porch, Kyo waited for her answer – this was vital to him too; if she didn't want him, he needed to know…

"Ah…..Yuki-kun, arigatou…thank you for worrying about me…it's more than I deserve…b-but…I mean, no…Kyo-kun didn't…we…" she gave up and lapsed into an awkward silence.

Yuki broke it first. "Well…I mean, if he didn't…that's good…But Honda-san," he said, straightening up, "You should be careful. He is the Cat, after all – even if he didn't actually rape you…" he coughed awkwardly. "Well, anyway, just don't trust him too much."

Tohru looked very confused…but on the balcony above, Kyo bared his pointed teeth in fury. How dared that damned rat try to set Tohru against him! He had no right to interfere!

Kyo sat and simmered in his hiding place on the balcony, hoping irrationally that Yuki would do something terrible to Tohru and give Kyo and excuse to kill him.


	5. Plot for Revenge

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Fruits Basket or any of the characters.

Sorry it's taken so long to update…but now I'm on spring break, so let's see what I can get done….

* * *

_Kyo sat and simmered in his hiding place on the balcony, hoping irrationally that Yuki would do something terrible to Tohru and give Kyo and excuse to kill him._

They stood there together for a minute more, uncomfortably avoiding eye contact. Finally, Tohru looked at her watch. 7:00 PM.

"Oh…Yuki-kun, I'm sorry….I have to go put out the laundry to dry…we'll need our uniforms in the morning…" she blushed in embarrassment and hurried away without waiting to hear his response.

Yuki, quite startled but her sudden exit, just stood there for a few more minutes, contemplating his revenge. Ah, yes…revenge, such a sweet word. His first attempt seemed not altogether successful; he had hoped to put that little seed of doubt in her mind of Kyo's sincerity…but as far as he could tell, he had only scared and embarrassed her.

…Oh well.

In any case, since Kyo was the object of his revenge, he _had_ been successful after all – the killing aura from the balcony above hadn't lessened a bit in the few minutes he'd been standing there alone. So even if he had scared Honda-san, Kyo, at least, was furious. This little campaign of his was worth all the trouble and embarrassment he'd gone through to get the point across to Honda-san. Gods, but that girl was dense! Pretty, but dense. But that wasn't the point.

He walked inside, every nerve in his body tense, expecting Kyo to attempt a surprise attack any minute now. But the attack never came.

_Huh…did the cat go and develop some self-control, or what? The fury is gone…no; check that…**He**'s gone! Where on earth would that stupid cat go at this time of night?_

Kyo knocked apprehensively on the gate of the main house, praying that Kagura didn't open the door. Or Haru, for that matter….or Momiji. They were all too loud, and Kyo didn't want to attract attention to himself. His prayers, it seemed, had been heeded; Hatori opened the door, his usual impassive expression changing to surprise.

"Kyo…why are you here? I was expecting Shigure…is he not coming?" A momentary look of hope crossed his face.

"Sorry Hatori…I had no idea that Shigure was coming, or I'd have come some other time…but I was wondering, could you give Akito a message for me?" He looked a bit desperate. Hatori raised an eyebrow.

"…A message? I hope you don't expect me to convey another death threat if he gets any ideas about Tohru-kun…." He stopped as Kyo beckoned him closer, and whispered something in his ear. Hatori's eyes widened in surprise and understanding.

"…Alright…I don't know if he'd have believed it from you, so it's a good thing for you that I opened the door…Kyo, you know this might not change anything, don't you?"

Kyo nodded. What else could he do? Hatori shrugged, and closed the gate, with one last warning.

"Kyo…stick to side streets on the way home – don't let Shigure see you leaving here, no matter what."

"Okay." Kyo trudged off, turning down an alley that he knew would dump him out a couple blocks away from Shigure's usual route to the main House. Just in time, too. He heard the gate creak open again behind him, heard Shigure's ever-cheerful voice, "Haa-san! What a surprise, to be let in so promptly…"

Kyo shook his head and kept walking. At last he arrived back at Shigure's house, opened the door, and went in, half expecting Yuki to attack him. He didn't, and Kyo heaved a sigh of relief.

"Kyo-kun…are you alright?" Tohru asked. "We wondered where you'd gone, especially after Shigure went off to the main house…"

Kyo shrugged. "Yea, I'm fine…don't worry, okay Tohru?" She nodded, smiling innocently. Kyo rolled his eyes; she could hardly afford to be innocent anymore, with Yuki trying to turn her against Kyo. Oh well, she was so cute that it hardly mattered…at least Yuki's revenge wasn't working…

So he thought. Yuki disagreed.

* * *

Sorry, it's kinda short, and not very funny…but Yuki's revenge will have some funny mistakes in school in chapter 6, I hope, so I'll make it up to you, ok? Thanks for reading, please review! (Constructive Criticism is welcome, I need to improve the story line, so any advice would be welcome). 


	6. Revenge in Action

Ah…sorry for the long wait…T-T I'm so bad…Here's the update…

* * *

_Kyo shrugged. "Yea, I'm fine…don't worry, okay Tohru?" She nodded, smiling innocently. Kyo rolled his eyes; she could hardly afford to be innocent anymore, with Yuki trying to turn her against Kyo. Oh well, she was so cute that it hardly mattered…at least Yuki's revenge wasn't working…_

_So he thought. Yuki disagreed.

* * *

_

"Kyo-kun! Yuki-kun! Breakfast!" The new morning had dawned, bright, clear, and hot, and Tohru was in a wonderful mood. Yuki wasn't attacking Kyo, or vice versa, she'd finished all her homework, and Shigure had spent the night at the main house, so for once she didn't have to worry about him making any perverted comments and starting fights with the boys. So, she'd prepared the best breakfast possible, hoping to share her good mood with the Cat and the Rat.

_Strange…_she thought,_ Everytime I think of them now, Kyo-kun's name comes first! Odd..._

She heard them coming down the stairs, long since able to discern whose footsteps were whose. Kyo-kun was always fairly energetic in the mornings, especially nice mornings like this one, so he was the first pair, trotting down at a brisk pace. Yuki, on the other hand, disliked mornings, sunny or otherwise, and hence was the second pair, ambling ponderously down behind Kyo.

"Ohayo, Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun! Breakfast is ready, so please eat!"

Both smiled at her, true smiles, which dazzled her eyes, although Yuki's was distinctly sleepy.

"Arigatou, Tohru-kun!" Kyo said, plopping himself down next to her at the table. His uniform was slightly wrinkled, as always, but he still looked wonderful. Yuki sat down more decorously on the other side of her, his uniform, as usual, impeccable. She'd always wondered how he managed to make his clothes looks so neat, when he was so awful at laundry. Still, now was not the time to ponder that.

"Shigure-san is still at the Main House, but he says he'll be back by the time we get home from school. Ah, and I have work tonight, so I've prepared a meal; if Kyo-kun would be kind enough to heat it up, it will be ready to eat whenever you want it." Having delivered her messages, she, too, applied herself to breakfast, not noticing the subtle glares the boys were aiming at each other.

_Kuso Nezumi, _Kyo thought, _Can't even handle housework. Good thing Tohru has me to count on for that, or the house would have burned down long since!_ He smirked – very slightly – but Yuki noticed.

_Baka neko_, thought Yuki,_ gaining her trust through housework…just because I can't heat food without burning it, he thinks he's so superior…but I'll get him at school today…we'll see if he keeps that smug look after I drop some hints to her friends…

* * *

_

Soon after they arrived at school, Kyo and Tohru were volunteered to make plans for some class function, and went off to talk to the upperclassmen about it. Yuki saw his opportunity, and took it.

"Uotani-san, Hanajimi-san, I would like to speak with you after school…It's about Tohru and Kyo. It's important, so if you could…"

He was met with blank stares.

"…Very well." Hana-chan answered, her creepy eyes glinting.

Yuki went back to work, mentally congratulating himself. Hanajima, on the other hand, did not. She was worried…Yuki Sohma's waves had gotten rather…odd…of late; a very odd mix of emotions. Partly jealousy, partly lust, and also partly a dangerous plotting sensation that told her that he was planning something unpleasant, most likely for his red haired cousin.

"Uo-chan…" she murmured, "He's planning something…something bad."

The Yankee's eyes lit up. She loved scandal and such things – unless they involved Tohru. If it was Tohru, then… "Good," she replied, "Can I kill him?"

"No…best to see what it is first…it might not involve Tohru at all. But if it does…I might have to zap him…" her eyes glinted again.

Yuki, sitting near them, had heard none of their discussion, shivered suddenly, and sneezed. Was he getting a cold? Or was someone talking about him? Well, it was probably just the baka neko…and he was going to get him anyway, so one more offense made no further difference.

* * *

After school, Tohru left for work, seen off by her two friends and escorted by Momiji, Kyo went home, and Yuki stayed late after school, pleading "Student Council Meeting." When they were gone, he wandered back into the classroom, discreetly followed by Uotani and Hanajima.

"Alright, Prince. What's this all about?" the Yankee demanded, "You'd better not have done anything to our Tohru, or I'll –" Yuki held up his hands placatingly.

"I haven't," he said, a cold smile growing on his face, "But Kyo has, whether or not he'll admit it."

Hanajima twitched, very slightly. He was lying, sort of. Lightly she dropped her hands off her lap, tapping Uotani's leg softly. Although it was a subtle sign by any book, the Yankee noticed, and reacted in the way they'd planned.

"Kyo? Carrot-top? He'd never do anything to Tohru, he's totally devoted to her."

Yuki frowned. He'd expected immediate fury at the thought of anything happened, not this idiotic trust in his cousin's good nature.

"Yes, well, that's what I thought, but the fact remains that he did…he needs to be punished, and not just by me. If I do it, it's just a routine beating; if you two take care of him, the lesson will stick."

"Geez, you make it sound like it's so awful. What'd he do to get you so mad, huh, Princey? Rape her?" Uotani inwardly seethed at the very thought, but knowing that Yuki was up to something helped. She wanted to make him mad, and this was the only way she knew how to do it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't expecting him to say yes. But he did.

"Yes…he did. If I try to beat him up for it, it comes across as jealousy! That's why I need your help!"

She had to give it to him, he was a convincing speaker. But Hanajima had more resources than her ears alone, and again noted the lie – Tohru had not been raped.

"Sohma-san…Tohru did not seem uncomfortable in Kyo's presence today…We would have noticed."

Yuki gulped – the psychic girl was so creepy!

"It seems to me…that if she were perhaps not raped in a brutal fashion, but more…seduced into it…she would only trust him more, and believe that he loves her." He said, trying to come up with a good excuse.

The Yankee nodded; it sounded plausible – but Hana-chan tapped her leg again. Tohru hadn't been seduced or raped. Time to finish this off; the annoying Prince wouldn't get mad, and Uotani was getting annoyed.

"Look, Prince, I know how much you hate Kyo. I understand that you want revenge and whatever. But if it's like you said, and Tohru loves him and believes that he loves her, then kicking his ass will only hurt her. She seems no worse for the wear, and the only thing that's damaged in this situation is your big, fat ego. Go home, Princey. We aren't going to do anything that'll hurt Tohru."

For a moment, Yuki's face contorted in fury. How dare these two bitches refuse? Why didn't they want to help Tohru? Were they secretly trying to get Kyo and Tohru together? He snarled mentally at the idea and carefully controlled his facial muscles.

"Fine," he snapped, "Fine. But may all the guilt for her loss of innocence fall on _your_ heads!"

* * *

Ne…it's all angsty…I'm sorry. It's just not a funny situation anymore. Much though I despise him, I'm having serious difficulty thinking up ways for Yuki's revenge to backfire. Ah well, a chapter's a chapter, I guess…I hope you like it, even if it's angsty. Oh, and I'm gonna try to finish it off soon. Or it'll be a cliffhanger. I'm just not liking the way it's gone, and I don't know how to fix it. If anyone has any idea, feel free to just snag the whole story and idea and just build on it, because I'm sick of dealing with it. 


	7. Revenge in Progress

Well….Okay, I know I said I was giving up…but I also asked for suggestions, and inuyashaswife12 was kind enough to give me one. So I thought I'd give it a try. I hope you like it, and all credit for the idea goes to inuyashaswife12 (in case you were wondering, it's the idea about involving the police and a video camera). -.

* * *

Yuki fumed. He was doing that a lot, recently. His life seemed to have entered an eternal cycle of anger and jealousy, and it was all that kuso neko's fault. The cat had been elevated in status, too. Never in his thoughts did Yuki refer to him as "Baka Neko." It just didn't fit, anymore. Kyo, bastard that he was, had proved himself to be no fool, but, in fact, a creep and criminal of the highest order; hence, he was now the "Kuso Neko" in Yuki's mind.

The two people closest to Tohru, her two best friends, had flatly refused to help him. Why, he didn't know. His performance had obviously been flawless, so what was their problem? Yuki knew perfectly well that if they had believed him, they would have done something.

Yuki paused for a moment, dreamily imagining the wonderful scene that _should_ have occurred after his little talk with them: Kyo writhing on the floor in agony from the creepy psychic girl's waves while being beaten with a lead pipe by the Yankee…

But then he went back to fuming – his perfect plan for revenge had been completely foiled, and Kyo was getting away with his crime.

_Huh…getting away with a crime…_Yuki thought, an idea forming. _Who better to deal with a crime than the police…?_

A small smile formed on the Prince's perfect lips. He wouldn't have to do anything to Kyo, and thus nothing would hurt Tohru. He needed no accomplices, no help. Not that he should anyway…why should someone so perfect have to rely on someone else?

* * *

The next day, Yuki once again avoided walking home with Kyo and Tohru, in order to make a small detour to a store for technology of all kinds. There he selected a very small but very high quality video camera. All he had to do, he figured, was place the camera somewhere in Kyo's room in order to catch them in that act; then he would deliver the video to the police immediately, and their little affair would be ended by the police, with Tohru none the wiser about his involvement in Kyo's arrest. Of course, the police might, in fact, not care…so he would probably include some random information about Kyo…

_A list of people he's beaten up…maybe some accounts of how he's skipped school and run away to the mountains…anything that will make him look like a delinquent. Ha! Maybe I'll say something about how he's actually seven or eight years older than she is, and how he's taking advantage of her! Oh, and maybe…_

Yuki kept plotting, his eyes narrowed as he stared down at the instrument for his success, and then he left the store, clearly in high spirits.

"—Hey!" the store owner cried, "You didn't _pay_ for it!"

But Yuki was gone.

The owner sighed. "Oh well…I guess I should inform the police…"

* * *

After school the next day, Yuki put his plan into action. Kyo was at Shihan's dojo, and Tohru was at work…and Shigure just didn't matter.

He entered Kyo's room, being sneaky for good measure – true, the Dog was unimportant, but he might investigate if Yuki was too loud. He whipped out the camera and started scanning Kyo's room for a good place to hide it…somewhere with a good, uninterrupted view of the bed, the scene of the crime. The bookshelf was too obvious…the desk too poor a view…the windowsill…perfect! Carefully, he cut a small circular hole in the wood frame around the window and inserted the camera. It ran on batteries that would last up to a week, so Yuki wasn't worried about that. He cut a much smaller hole in the center of the first hole, which he then replaced in it's original home in the window frame. The camera was concealed with only a tiny black dot in the frame to give it away, and Yuki was positive that the kuso – no, _baka_ – neko would never notice. For a moment, he was tempted to indulge in an evil cackle, but decided against it.

* * *

Kyo waited outside of Tohru's work to pick her up. It wasn't that he really had anything against Yuki – far from it; he completely understood the Rat's jealousy at Kyo's own triumph – but he couldn't shake the feeling that Yuki was planning something. After school the other day, Yuki had held a suspicious conference with Tohru's two friends – at which time Kyo had had a horrible bout of unexplained sneezing. Also, Yuki had left the little conversation abruptly and looking almighty angry, so apparently whatever he'd been trying to get the Yankee and the Wave girl to do hadn't worked. So, in suspicion, he'd decided to pick Tohru up himself instead of coming directly home from Shishou's. He had, however, arrived a bit early. Tohru got out at about 10:15…but it was only 9:30. Kyo was prepared to wait, though. Cats were good at that.

Suddenly he sensed two presences coming up behind him. Remembering his inability to sense Tohru that first night, he'd asked Shishou to help train his senses to detect people. Apparently it was working. He whirled around to face the pair – and sighed. It was only the Yankee and the Wave Girl.

"Hey Orangy. What're you doing here? I thought only Princey picked Tohru up from work." The Yankee, frank as ever, raised an eyebrow as she spoke, daring him to come up with a good excuse for his unusual presence.

"Eh…Yuki's been busy…I think something's up with him. So I came straight from training instead of going home and dealing with him…"

"True…" commented Hanajima, "There is a heavy weight on his mind. He blames it on you…and Tohru is involved." She continued to stare at him, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"Okay, look. The other day after school, as I'm sure you know, Yuki decided to talk to us after school. He claimed that you raped Tohru, and that you had seduced her so that it would appear that you loved her. Hana-chan here says that her waves detected a lie – but we wanted to make sure. What happened, Kyo?" She glared, again daring him, this time to think of a reason why she should let him live.

"Ugh – that damn Yuki! Alright, listen up. I don't want to repeat this. I love Tohru; I didn't seduce her, and I think – I _hope_ – that she loves me too. The reason that Yuki's so upset is that not only does Tohru only see him as a close friend, he found us together…in bed. So, that's really all. I explained this to him; so did Tohru. He just can't get it through his head that Tohru doesn't love him as anything other than a brother or a friend." He sighed. Repeating their story like this so often was embarrassing; hopefully this would be the last time he would have to tell it.

Uotani looked at Hanajima, who nodded. Kyo wasn't lying, and Yuki was. Time to complete their errand.

"Good enough. Now then, as you probably know, since Yuki can't accept that, he's probably gonna try something. He wanted us to beat you up, you know – claimed that if the beating came from him, it was just jealousy, but if it came from us, you'd remember it. Anyway, that makes it pretty obvious that since we chose not the believe him, he's gonna do something on his own. Dunno what, but keep a sharp lookout. Also - try to keep him away from Tohru." Having spoken her piece, she turned, ready to leave, but Hanajima hadn't moved.

"Sohma-kun…be careful. He's not…stable….right now. He will try some tactic that will make him look innocent, that will hurt you without directly involving himself. Unseen eyes can tell dangerous stories to the right people. Good-bye…we'll be watching." She turned and walked away, leaving Kyo gaping at the receding back.

"Ano…Kyo-kun?" Tohru had come up behind him unnoticed – again! He really needed to train harder...

"Where is Yuki-kun? That is, not that I'm not glad to see you, but it's unusual…that is…" she floundered, trying to think of a way to politely ask why Kyo-kun, not Yuki-kun, had come to escort her home.

Kyo shrugged. He didn't want to worry her or make her think that Yuki was up to something, which would only upset her, so he made up an excuse.

"Eh…I got out late from Shishou's, so I decided to stop by…Yuki had something to do after school, so I came instead…"

Tohru relaxed, assured that Yuki wasn't lying somewhere, beaten to a pulp by Kyo for his interference. Not that Yuki hadn't been perhaps a bit rude by prying, but he was just worried for her, so she didn't want him beaten up for that. Her mind at ease, she was able to walk home with Kyo-kun in peace. Once, she thought she caught a glimpse of Hana-chan across the street, but when she turned to look more closely, no one was there.

* * *

Yuki was bored. Now that his great plan was in action, it would have been nice if Kyo had the decency to come home so that he would have some evidence against him. The video would do no good if it only filmed an empty bed. Besides, he was hungry. Not only had Kyo not come home to heat up dinner for them, Shigure had expressly forbidden Yuki to go anywhere near the stove, so there was no way for him to get a real dinner. Why did his life suck so much, all of a sudden? It's not like he deserved it. After the treatment he'd gotten from Akito in his childhood, he deserved to be treated like a venerated saint, not the worthless piece of humanity he felt like right now…Huh.

Akito. Akito didn't like Kyo. And he didn't like Tohru, either.

Yuki shuddered involuntarily, and stowed his new idea in the back of his mind for future use.

_If the police can't help…Akito will. That much I can count on._

Still, Yuki felt a twinge of discomfort with the whole idea of a revenge involving Tohru. There was no point, really, in filming just Kyo in his room; the police wouldn't care; the evidence Yuki needed was them together – especially if Kyo was in a bad mood at the time. There was no real way to arrange such an encounter; he just needed to wait for Kyo to "recharge," and then he would bring Tohru to his room again and repeat the deed. All Yuki needed to do was wait…but he still felt guilty about involving Tohru. True, it wouldn't work without her, but that didn't mean he had to like involving her with Kyo more than necessary.

He snarled to himself and began to pace, stalking back and forth across his floor, for all the world like an angry cat - a thought that caused him to snarl even more. Creasing his forehead into a most un-princely scowl, he finally gave up waiting in his room and wandered downstairs, and snuck into the kitchen.

* * *

When Tohru and Kyo arrived, Yuki was lying prone in the dining room, empty bags of general snack food lying around him.

Kyo sighed and continued upstairs as Tohru began cleaning up. There was no surer sign that Yuki was upset, he reasoned. Whenever the members of the zodiac got upset, their animal traits showed clearer – and what clearer sign of distress than the normally dignified Yuki lying passed out from binge eating?

* * *

Huh…I couldn't think of a way to end this chapter…I'm sorry...(though I have to say that I love the idea of Yuki acting rat-like and eating until he passed out…it's just such a funny picture!). Please Review! Also, could someone (multiple someone's would be nice…) give me some feedback on the idea of Yuki bringing Akito into his revenge? I don't want to portray Yuki as such a villain, just as having gone mildly insane from jealousy, so I was wondering if bringing Akito in might not be over the top…But I don't know, which is why I'm asking for help…Ok? Thanks! 


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